The Napa Valley fires were absolutely devastating. The latest numbers are 41 people dead, 220,000 acres, and 2,800 homes burned [1].But there is some good news when it comes to the Napa Valley wine industry and this is a big deal for people in the region. The Napa Valley wine industry generates over $50B annually [2]and employs roughly 40% of the Napa County workforce [3].

There are 3 ways the fire can impact the wine industry.

Burn the actual vineyard- It is not very common for fires to burn vineyards. Due to the constant maintenance, there is no dry brush around and the vines themselves usually have plenty of moisture [4].See the picture below of one of the fires burning almost all around the vineyard but not actually burning the vines. Fire officials and their crews usually use vineyards as rally points due to their relative safety [5].Certainly some of the vineyards were burned and that is particularly devastating because it takes 3–5 years for newly planted vines to bear fruit[6].

Smoke contamination of the grape- This has the potential to destroy the whole region’s harvest. But luckily, due to hotter and drier than average conditions this summer, roughly 85% of the grapes were already picked [7] and the majority of the grapes that remain are the Cabernet Sauvignon varietal which is the most resistant to “smoke taint”[8].

Destroyed vintages, tasting rooms, etc.- Very few winery’s keep their harvest in Napa County and therefore are unaffected by the fire or smoke. This obviously is not true for all wineries such asBackbone Vineyardwhich lost its vineyard and the last 5 years of vintages. While the percentage of wineries damaged by the fires is low, the impact of those affected is very high.

In summary, the fires were much more destructive on individuals and their lives than the Napa Valley wine industry as a whole, but a strong wine market will be key to rebuilding. So keep on buying Napa wine or plan a vacation in 2018, or even make adonation.

This questionoriginally appeared on Quora - the place to gain and share knowledge, empowering people to learn from others and better understand the world. You can follow Quora on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+. More questions: